The two lifeboats stationed at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston hosted their annual lifeboat demonstration on Wednesday evening entertaining hundreds on Gorleston Pier.

Gorleston relief all-weather lifeboat (ALB) and inshore lifeboat (ILB) were joined by Caister Independent Lifeboat, RNLI Lowestoft Lifeboat with their relief Shannon class and the RNLI Lifeguards, with Hemsby Inshore Rescue bringing their craft on a land trailer.

There was an extensive demonstration programme with a mix of scenarios from a fishing vessel being on fire with two casualties in the water rescued by Gorleston ILB and the fire extinguished by Gorlestons ALB, to a female paddleboarder getting into difficulty and having to be rescued by Caister Independent Lifeboat.

The RNLI's Lifeguards demonstrated the ‘float to live’ campaign the RNLI is currently promoting, through a fisherman falling in and going through both scenarios and also how the rescue board is used by the beach lifeguards.

There was also a towing exercise carried out by Gorleston ALB to Lowestoft ALB, again showing of the capability of both rescue crafts.

The last scenario saw a 'mock up' of several people falling from the pier into the water to be rescued by the two Gorleston lifeboats.

Lastly it was time for the finale where all four lifeboats came together to present themselves to the watching audience.

This event was a way of bringing the community together to demonstrate the ability of the RNLI and the independent lifeboat stations, where hundreds of people on looked from the pier on a beautiful evening in Gorleston.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.